I am heading back to British Columbia in a few weeks, and I have added a couple of days to my trip, specifically to shoot sealions. This will be a first for me!
For those of you experienced with shooting this mayhem, how do you normally tackle it? I always shoot manual everything, but I have heard of other "Manualites" that choose to shoot full Auto with video lights, only because everything is moving so fast. I want to maximize my "keeper quotient", but I'm used to taking my time, being a shipwreck shooter!
Thanks!
Stoo
In SOCAL I shoot the sealions with an 8 mm Fisheye (EM-1) in a small port system. Manual flash and 1/320 shutter (sometimes 1/250) at f11 or so. Before they show up I set the f stop to get the blue that I want to see then wait for them to come in close. You are right they are zooming along but with that setup you can get a fair percentage of keepers.
Bill
I shoot them all the time.
The key is shutter speed, 240 at least. Adjust accordingly
They're fast but they love their reflection in a big port and will hang around for ages. So you can take your time and try a few things without worrying about your subjects heading off into the blue.
That said, you need high shutter speeds if you want sharp pictures. I found reducing the strobe power to half helped recharge times. Manual focus was also important both for the fast moving subjects and because they create microbubbles in the water. It's much easier to know where your focus zone is and snap when they're in it, rather than trying to chase an eyeball with your active AF point while maintaining good composition.
I would stick with manual if that's what you normally do. If you stay facing in one direction (towards/away from the sun/up/down/sideways) then your settings won't change that much. Then it's a waiting game on getting the little wrigglers to line up and stop chewing on your hood. The Australian sealions love bright colours, so if this holds true for their northern relatives then consider how much you want to be taste tested when selecting your dive gear.
